


A Picture of Uncertainty

by Name1



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Feelings, Friends to Lovers, Introspection, Pregnancy, idiots to lovers, season 2 divergence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-13 08:14:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28775154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Name1/pseuds/Name1
Summary: An alternate series of events if Din had managed to stay another day or two after helping Cara and Greef with the Imperial base.
Relationships: Cara Dune & Greef Karga, Din Djarin & Cara Dune, Din Djarin & Cara Dune & Grogu | Baby Yoda, Din Djarin/Cara Dune
Comments: 29
Kudos: 66





	A Picture of Uncertainty

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for Mandalorianess's edit on Tumblr. It's posted below :)

Din had only gotten to visit for those two days--well, two nights and he left the third day. Fighting together had been good--catching up in her home had been better. She couldn't remember the last time she had smiled so much. Her cheeks actually ached from it. He seemed so relaxed to be around them again after months apart. It was almost like he had never left. 

It wasn't either of their faults, really. Hell, she wasn't even sure who started it, but they stayed up half the night lying side by side in her bed talking before something just clicked and they ended up taking that final step without fear. She wasn't sure what they had been waiting on--it had been bliss--every second pouring their love into each other with their bodies where their words failed them had been surreal. It wasn't just the physical pleasure that had fallen into place so easily, but also the deeper connection they finally felt unafraid to acknowledge. Moving together with him not armored up like usual, but naked and sweaty and bravely vulnerable, was a whole new experience as they explored every inch of wondrously exposed skin over and over without hesitation. 

Pleasure all but seeped out of them as it filled the room. They were both drunk with it--they couldn't get enough. It was so new and exciting that as the night marched on, the desire didn't die down at all despite the tiredness and aching muscles. It was so easy and so perfect how they came together that she wondered why they hadn't done this ages ago. It felt _right_. It felt like it was finally their time……….. until the discovery at the base revealed the danger the kid was in and they’d had to leave in a hurry. She wasn't angry, just resigned that they would only ever have the bits and pieces of happiness: 

_Small islands of peace and laughter in a sea of separation and danger_

_One step forward and three steps back_

_Awaited reunions always ending with a hurried 'see you later'_

It was funny that before it all went to shit, it seemed like he might actually stay for a while this time. He was impressed with the oasis they'd created on Nevarro and she'd never seen him so at ease as when they sat on the porch catching up. They had sat and watched the kid chasing desert lizards until he tired himself out and fell asleep in her lap. It had seemed too easy--too _good_ to be true, so of course it was.......

It still didn't seem real what she found out this morning. She was pretty sure she had lost an entire day, since the sun was already setting in the horizon. Hours marched on and people dropped in to say ‘ _hello'_ or discuss business and she _knows_ she must have talked to some of them, but she simply couldn't remember any of it. She was going through the motions, but her head was somewhere else--specifically, the hologram cassette burning a hole in her pocket. She sets it on the desk once again and let her eyes linger on the unexpected and delicate form lit up in blue.

_Kriff, what am I gonna do now...._? She actually saw the room get blurry before she realized her eyes felt hot. _She hadn't cried in forever. Not since....._

She blinked away the evidence and collected herself just like she always had. She would not let hormones get the better of her. She was stronger than that. 

She took a look around. No one was walking by the single window that time of day so she allowed herself a single moment to caress her stomach under the desk. "Looks like mama and daddy weren't especially careful..." She cringes at her own thoughts. How could she possibly feel so tender and so protective toward a person she had never met? _She doesn’t even do the ‘baby thing’, so what gives? What the fuck had taken over and turned her into this uncharacteristically soft and protective person all of the sudden? She knew the answer--it already had a tiny little face that she'd glimpsed for the first time hours ago._

"Anyway, you little womp rat, I guess we're going to do this," she decides out loud to her audience of one. She wasn't sure if she was looking for advice or approval, but she'd take either at this point. Her own judgement was skewed in how much she already felt toward this bundle of cells, but she didn't want to burden this poor baby with her as a mother if she didn't think she could actually do a good job. Despite the swirling thoughts being tossed around in her head, she found herself smiling .....She couldn't figure out why though.

_She was stressed, right? Yes._

_Surprised? Adamantly yes._

_Terrified? Definitely._

But _happy_? Was she? She thought she just might be, though she felt guilty finding any joy in this discovery. This news changed everything, and she wasn't convinced yet it was for the better. The fight with Moff Gideon only seemed to inch closer every day and now she would be even less helpful than before. If something happened to the green kid because of her weakness in her current state....she couldn't even think about it. She didn't know where to go from here. She didn't think she'd ever be in this situation. She certainly didn't think she'd ever do _this_....

“At least making you was fun," she says, with a hint of a smile. _Great._ She was talking to a baby-- _not even a baby_ \--a picture of one. Hormones were a bitch. She knew she had felt different lately, but at least she finally had a reason for her moodiness and lack of appetite.

..................

Greef had given up carefully watching her through the afternoon and finally outright asked if something was wrong. Apparently, she hadn't hidden her turmoil at the unexpected surprise as much as she thought if Greef and his superior observational skills picked up on it. She showed him the holoprojection and said nothing as his eyebrows rose almost clear off his forehead.

"Shit, Cara. You're sure?" he asked, clearly disbelieving what he was seeing was real and not some elaborate joke. "You're going through with it?"

She had already decided that was the only option. "Yeah," she tells him tentatively, though he can hear a real hint of uncertainty in her voice. "What do you think?"

He was surprised by her tone. "I think everything will be fine," he assures her quickly. "I'm glad you told me though. I was actually getting worried there was something wrong with you.”

"Nothing's wrong," she says. "I'm just growing a human apparently."

His next question was expected but it didn't make it any easier. "Does Din know?"

She sighed heavily. "No, I just found out this morning." She felt guilty that he didn't know, but there was no way she could possibly relay the message.

Greef nodded as it all made sense. "It explains why you seemed so out of it today."

" I swear I'll be back in control tomorrow," she promises. "It won't affect my work." She had a moment of weakness but she was strong. She always had been.

"Look Cara, I'm sure he'll be back to help take some of the burden; but until then, I can help--whatever you need."

She was touched by his support, and even though it was just words at this point, it was more than she had from anyone else.

When she doesn't volunteer any way he can be of assistance, he decides to be proactive and ask. "What _can_ I do?"

She didn't want to be a burden to him though. To anyone, really. "I need to not be an idiot," she decides as a good place to start.

He chuckles at her answer. "Can't help you there. That's chronic, I'm afraid."

She can't help but crack a smile--more of half a smirk, really. "I need to go back in time and remember how biology works then," she suggests instead. "Can you help with that?"

  
He gives her a serious look. "Would you really change it if you could?"

She gives his serious question the real reflection it deserves and waits a moment before replying.

"No.....I wouldn't," she says softly, and she's surprised to realize she meant it. She scoffs at her own idiocy. _How could she be attached to this kid so quickly?_

"We didn't even try to be careful," she scolds herself, though Greef is still right beside her. "What were we thinking?" She couldn't believe she hadn't even thought of what the consequences could be. It didn't seem possible for two adults as old and well-traveled as they were to be so careless.

"That's easy," the man in front of her says, "you _weren't_......not with your brains, anyway." Greef laughs openly for the first time since this conversation started and she already felt better as it pulled a laugh from her too. Him teasing her was one of the few things she could depend on. 

"Do you think I can do it?" she asks him seriously, when their laughter died down. "Alone....I mean....." 

She gave him plenty of time to consider his answer, strangely self-conscious about his view of her maternal capabilities. Cara knew people saw her as steady and confident to a fault--cocky and boastful even when she knew she was wrong--but she wanted to be sure she was doing the right thing for the right reasons here; not because she suddenly wanted to jump into this dreamlike fool's errand for the tiny feet and tiny hands that had already stolen a corner of her hardened heart.

"I respect you Cara, so I can't lie and say it will be _easy_ to do this on your own," he tells her, looking her straight in the eye, "but if anyone can do it...it's _you_." 

"Is it a bad idea though?" she asks more vehemently. "Honestly. Tell me the truth. For as much shit as I give you, I value your opinion." She hadn't even thought about being a mother since she was a teenager and her own mother used to tease her about having grandchildren one day. After Alderaan.... it just never seemed possible--not something she ever thought twice about. For years she refused to get close to anyone, refused to find herself part of another family, and refused to think of all the chances at a semi-normal life she had given up along the way. Pushing everyone away and living such an isolated life meant she'd never even have the chance to have children even if she wanted them.......or so she thought. Now she had that chance, but it wasn't about _her_.....it was about what was right for this innocent child. She wanted to try, but that wasn't enough; she had messed up a lot of things over the years but she absolutely could not mess this up. 

"The truth is, I think you'll be a good mother," Greef says, seriously. "You _can_ do this. You can make it work. I've seen you with the magic kid and the kids in town--you're a natural."

She let out a heavy breath and felt herself relax slightly at his assurance that didn’t feel like a lie. Her neck hurt from all the tension she'd been holding in all day. 

"Okay. I'm doing this then," she announces to her friend, but also to herself and the little bean she was carrying around. It was decided. She was going to have a baby and it was on her terms. She hoped Din would return one day but even if he didn't, this was still _her_ joy, _her_ gift, and no one could take it away from her. She'd see to it this child never knew anything other than love and peace and being absolutely spoiled. They would never know fear or pain--she'd see to that personally, and she'd come hard for anyone who dared even try. She might have lost one family, but she had a second chance it seemed, and she wouldn't let her fear of losing it in the future take even a small bit of her happiness in the present. The Empire wouldn't touch this, no matter what.

"So….congratulations?" Greef finally asks, once it seems she's good now. She looked more herself once she had decided on a clear path.

"Thanks," she replied. It might have sounded a bit awkward, but it was heartfelt.

"You happy?" he asks, finally smiling again. "You _look_ happy."

"Yeah........" she breathes out in a pleasant rush of air, and it feels good to admit it out loud. "Yeah, I think I am."

She thought of the absolutely perfect baby she saw on the holo and couldn't help but wonder what they'd look like in another two seasons when she'd get to meet them face to face. She didn't know anything above Din's neck, but she knew he had darker olive skin than her own and the hair on his forearms was almost black with the intensity of the brown pigment it held, so it was probably a safe bet his eyes were also brown. She wondered how much this new little person would resemble her and what other traits would be a glimpse into his or her father's lineage. She couldn't wait to see their tiny features and find out if she would raise a son or a daughter. _She was actually doing this._

She had dinner with Greef as she did most nights, but he'd stayed later than usual to help keep her mind off the hardships she knew would amass in the weeks and months to come. She tried to only focus on her unexpected happiness since this was a time of motherhood she could never live twice, but her thoughts strayed despite her best attempts. As many changes as she had to focus on, she couldn't help but wonder if Din would ever really find his way back here again. She had to hope he would-- _not just for her sake_ \-- and hopefully in one piece with the green kid happy and safe in his arms. 

Cara was tired after their late dinner and got ready for bed as soon as she walked in the door to her apartment. She undressed mindlessly like she had done a thousand times before, but her shirt got stuck on the new metal insignia she had recently donned--she still wasn't used to the extra ornament on her belt. The New Republic's insignia she had been given along with her new change in job title wasn’t even remotely exciting anymore after the day she'd had. Din would find it hilarious how she'd apparently gone legit, but boy would she have an even bigger surprise for him when she saw him again......

******************************

[Mandalorianess](https://mandalorianess.tumblr.com/) made this wonderful set of images and I couldn't help myself :) Check her out on Tumblr and here as well.

**Author's Note:**

> Love to hear from you :)


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